i'm sorta a noob with electric stuff....

[Aerevon]

ok, my first competition is coming up, and i need two wet foils, two body cords, and a lame. my club orders stuff direct from blue gauntlet, so I get most of my equipment from there...thing is total it's gonna be around 200 bucks of new stuff that i need by January. And that's with the cheapest foils that BG sells, the 45 buck ones. Is that a bad idea to be buying the cheapest ones i can find? or should i just try and cough up enough to get some better stuff now?

[Welted 24/7]

First of all....they aren't "wet" foils. I wouldn't go around telling people you've got a wet weapon on you. Might get you slapped in some circles.

Anyway, try The Fencing Post. In my experience, they usually have the best prices on things like this.

Edit- whoops, ignored the rest of your question. What kind of stuff you get depends on how active you are/planning to be. Are you going to be fencing competitively on any kind of a regular basis, or do you just need stuff to train with? If you're fencing in tournaments regularly, just shell it out and get some decent stuff, because when you combine the cost of constantly having to buy new cheapo stuff with tournament fees, gas money, sometimes hotel rates....it gets to be a lot.

[Aerevon]

you don't refer to "wet" and "dry" equipment? that's all i've ever heard....but thanks for the advice anyway, i'm planning on competing competitively, so it probably would be a good idea to break down and buy the good stuff...

[prototoast]

Personally, I would avoid buying the cheapest stuff from blue gauntlet. Their body cords break really easily, as do their blades.

If you're serious about fencing, it's probably worth it to get leon paul or uhlmann (or allstar, or well, anything that's top quality) body cords, and some sort of maraging foil (depends a lot of personal preference).

Assuming that price is a concern, and you're not currently able to spend a large sum of money, I'd probably either order from the fencing post or triplette.
Perhaps some prieur body cords and an StM or Dinamo blade.

[Welted 24/7]

Nope. Dry weapons are dry weapons, but what you know as "wet" weapons, everyone else just calls electric weapons.

Besides, it's like I said before- you ask the wrong girl to try out the grip on your "wet weapon", you'll be in a whole load of trouble.

[mrbiggs]

Or, he could ask the girl to wet his weapon for him. (Wire it)

It's always best to buy FIE stuff. It took me a long time to learn that. The nice stuff lasts in proportion to the extra money you spend, and you don't get huge, unacceptable kinks after 1 bout.

[Purple Fencer]

As always...if going to your first comp, go to http://www.homfencing.com and click on the "going to your 1st tournament?" link right below the company logo.

[Zilverzmurfen]

Originally Posted by Purple Fencer

As always...if going to your first comp, go to http://www.homfencing.com and click on the "going to your 1st tournament?" link right below the company logo.

That's actually a very good beginners guide to competetive fencing! (Ignoring the fact that it's US oriented.) Good job, PF!

As for "dry" and "wet" weapons I believe they call "dry" weapons "steam" weapons in the UK. And steam is actually wetter than dry so it might be a bit confusing at times...

Here in Sweden we just call non-electric weapons "manual" weapons. As we very rarely fence dry/steam we just refer to electric weapons as...weapons.

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

First place, chill, and evaluate your situation. If you have someone who can build a weapon from parts for you, than do that. I personally would take a look at physical chess and buy some fleche blades that are wired. Yeah, they suck as far as feel goes, but they will last you a very good amount of time. As far as bodycords go, I suggest that you dont skimp, and buy a single leon-paul cord. It aint gonna break on you, so you can rely on it. As far as Lame's go, check out the JL lame's at the fencing post. Decent price, good quality lame. If your looking at bell guards, dont get the cheapest one you can find, get the stainless steel one, and then later upgrade to a vniti. If you dont have someone who can build a weapon for you, just buy a couple of physical chess foils with fleche blades, a fencing post JL lame, and a leon paul cord. My other suggestion is to learn how to fix and build your own stuff, it will save you $300 or so over the course of a year.

[SJCFU#2]

Add to DFP's recommendations:

1 - To strictly be in accordance with the rules you will need TWO bodycords (T86). At the local level directors may cut you some slack if you can borrow one in a hurry, however why risk it.

2 - You will want to make sure that your body cord and socket are compatible with one another. Obviously two-prong and bayonet don't mix, however different manufacturers also have different means of securing the two-prong plug to the socket (metal clips on the plug that latch on the socket frame vs plastic clips on the socket that fit over the plug).

3 - If you do go with bayonet, make sure that both the plug and socket are genuine Leon Paul. Some of the inexpensive copies have proven less than reliable.

4 - LEARN HOW IT WORKS (this can't be repeated enough) - That way you can figure out what's wrong and maybe even fix it before it becomes critical!

[shango]

The generic Blue Gauntlet blades are horrible. I fence foil, but today I fenced epee and broke two of the BG epee blades. Get FIE foil blades. They might be a bit more expensive, but its worth it.

[mrbiggs]

Always test everything always before going to a competition. I didn't used to do that.
Yeah, one time, I went to maybe my 3rd or 4th competition. All my weapons were pretty new, and one was practically unused, and I'd never had a weapon come even close to failing weight. I brought 4 blades. The first 3 failed weight. Luckily, my fourth one passed. (Barely). I started what turned out to be my easiest bout 0-2, and I came darn close to being bladeless, which really sucks.

The same goes for not only weight, but bend, body cord to socket compatibility (as mentioned before), and other stuff. Also, make sure the blade and body cord work. I once bought a new blade that went intermittently off-target. Not a card, but a nuisance.

And as has been said, get FIE blades. Bodycords and bellguards aren't as important, but if you have the money, the higher quality, the better.

[Lefty1]

The most durable weapons in my experience come from triplette. They might be alittle bit more expensive but it's worth it. It's a bad idea to get cheap weapons just because you don't want to fork over the money (that's from experience.)

[D+F+P=Hadouken!]

Originally Posted by Lefty1

The most durable weapons in my experience come from triplette. They might be alittle bit more expensive but it's worth it. It's a bad idea to get cheap weapons just because you don't want to fork over the money (that's from experience.)

I wouldnt get triplette stuff unless you intend to wire it yourself. Their wire jobs are usually horrendous.

[telkanuru]

As for the refs calling you on not having stuff, I would expect it if your location is any indication of where you'll be fencing.

Also, I assume this first competition is the Hangover Open? If so, good luck, expect to get your posterior kicked, but attempt to not allow that. And, possibly, see you there, although I won't fence you (epee, you see) .

[The Armourer]

Originally Posted by Zilverzmurfen

As for "dry" and "wet" weapons I believe they call "dry" weapons "steam" weapons in the UK.

Absolutely right! The suggestion to check all your kit through before leaving for the competition is a good one unless you thrive on tension and prefer to sort out any problems on the edge of the piste on the day!

[Welted 24/7]

My recommendation is NEVER to use bayonet sockets if you can avoid it. They break a lot more quickly than a two-prong will. Simply put, more moving parts = more chance of breaking.

[LUDICROUS]

Spoken like an engineer But I agree.

[Welted 24/7]

Well, to be more accurate, spoken like a flat-broke college student who got pissed off and gave up on bayonets after his 4th one in a row broke on him.

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by Welted 24/7

Well, to be more accurate, spoken like a flat-broke college student who got pissed off and gave up on bayonets after his 4th one in a row broke on him.

Were you using real leon paul bayonet sockets or cheap ripoff sockets?